Use of video-based content in medical education

Abstract

In South Africa, the shortage of trained doctors and nurses contributes to 50% of all maternal deaths, according to the 2014–2016 Saving Mother’s Report of the National Committee on Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths.¹ The impact on families and society as a whole,² in addition to the fact that more than 85% of these deaths are considered preventable, demonstrates the unambiguous scale and urgency of this problem. Broader studies of patient outcomes after surgery in South Africa and the continent confirm the contribution of lack of trained medical staff to our high mortality rates.^3–5 We need transformative learning experiences that can be delivered at scale to optimise health professions education in South Africa.^1,6 As a leader in technology and innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa is optimally poised to design and develop the next generation of scalable, education solutions for the country and the region.